Four flight attendants were arrested at Miami International Airport on money laundering and other charges after authorities found them carrying thousands of dollars in cash during a routine Customs check.
Carlos Alberto Munoz-Moyano, 40, Maria Isabel Wilson Ossandon, 48, Maria Beatriz Pasten-Cuzmar, 55, and Miaria Delpilar Roman-Strick, 55, were arrested early Tuesday on money laundering and unauthorized money transmitting charges, according to an arrest report.
The report said a Customs and Border Patrol agent was conducting a routine check on Munoz-Moyano, who had just arrived in Miami on an American Airlines flight from Chile. The agent asked Munoz-Moyano how much money he had on him, and Munoz-Moyano first said he only had $100, then changed his answer and said he had $9,000, the report said.
CBP officers began to stop other flight attendants, and found Roman-Strick in possession of $7,300 in U.S. currency, the report said. Wilson Ossandon was found to be in possession of $6,371, the report said.
The report didn't say that cash was found on Pasten-Cuzmar, only that she was also checked in the Customs area. The total amount of currency seized was $22,671.
Prosecutors said the flight attendants conspired to bring the money into the U.S. and deliver it to an unknown person, and they would receive a percentage of the money in return.
All four were booked into jail early Tuesday and had immigration holds. Attorney information wasn't available.
U.S. & World
"We take this matter seriously and are cooperating with law enforcement throughout their investigation," American Airlines said in a statement Tuesday.